[cedman1]

Hello All,

I'm in need of a Low Output MC cart and have heard from my dealer that the new Denon 100th Anniv cart is very good.  Just wanted to check and see if anyone has heard or had any experience with this new cart.  The price is very attractive and might be a winner.  Just research 

[blakep]

I am a big fan of the Denon 103R, owning 2 of them which have been modified.

Sadly, there is not much from the information supplied by Denon on this cartridge to indicate that it is anything more than a stock 103 with a clear plastic body as opposed to a black plastic body. A similar story with the 100th Anniversary table. A cosmetically gussied up version of a much cheaper product at a very high price.

There are no guarantees of course, but I would be inclined to purchase a stock 103 and then either an aftermarket aluminum or wood (ebony would be my preference having experience with ebony and clavellin) body and transplant the cartridge (lots of information online on this); the chances are very high that you'll have much better performance at approximately half the price.

You can then run the cartridge for 800-1000 hours and send it off to Soundsmith for a line contact retip to once again elevate its performance, making it competitive with much more expensive cartridges if you have a table, arm and phono stage that are up to the job.

[neobop]

Can't say I have experience with this either, but it appears to be more like a 103R - also for heavy arms.
http://www.needledoctor.com/Denon-DL-A100-Phono-Cartridge?sc=2&category=369

neo

[blakep]

Nope.

Differences between the 103 and 103R are: output, impedance, 6 nines wire in the 103R and a small piece of rubber damping internally on the plastic housing of the cartridge in the 103R.

103R output is spec'd at .25 mV and impedance is 14 ohms. 103 output is .3 mV and 40 ohms, exactly the same as the Anniversary if you click on the specifications in the link below.

http://www.musicdirect.com/p-41059-denon-dl-a100-100th-anniversary-mc-phono-cartridge.aspx

[neobop]

Interesting. There seems to be a different set of modifications to the 103. The tip is described as a .2mm square diamond. The cantilever is a 2-piece telescoping one and they talk about the fulcrum and independent coils. Not sure how this differs from the others. They make it seem like it's an improved 103.
neo

[blakep]

Interesting. There seems to be a different set of modifications to the 103. The tip is described as a .2mm square diamond. The cantilever is a 2-piece telescoping one and they talk about the fulcrum and independent coils. Not sure how this differs from the others. They make it seem like it's an improved 103.
neo

Color me skeptical. I don't believe there is anything different about this cartridge except for the see-through body. On the Music Direct site in the specs the stylus is described as a 16.5 micron round tip, which is the way the stock spherical/conical on the 103/103R has been described for years.

Lots of speculation on the origins of the Anniversary table if you google search that one as well.

[neobop]

What color is skeptical?
The owner's manual confirms the tip info. Needle Dr description seems to be from the manufacturer.
I don't know how meaningful it is. However, I doubt if they made up the telescoping cantilever.

FWIW, the carts are said to still be made in Japan.
neo

[cedman1]

This is all very good and I appreciate everyones input.  With the comments and having never heard any Denon cart I'm starting to wonder if the cartridge is the one for me and my equipment.  I'm currently researching the Resonance on VE and it looks as if that would not be a good idea according to their table as well.

I'll keep looking and thanks for everyones opinion and help.  Love this site.   

[hifitommy]

the denon needs at least a medium mass arm.  also, although pretty, the price is steep.  if you can wait a while, comet supply has denons for GREAT prices.  less than 200 for the 103r and about 120 for a standard 103. 

these carts have prodigious bass and are a good value at this price, waiting time and all.

the anniversary model would be perhaps worth the money if it included an elliptical or line contact stylus but they are conical just like the other 103s available.

[TONEPUB]

I'll know very soon.  Just got one in and will be comparing it to a standard issue DL-103R in the next week.  I've got two identical AVID Volvere tables with matching SME 309 arms and Furutech tonearm cables.  We just did a comparison like this with the Rega RP3 and P3-24, so it will be super easy to just switch between input a and input b.

Watch for our new web section, "Analogaholic".  This will be our first comparison.

[jimdgoulding]

Great.  Nice idea for an article, imo.

[cedman1]

I apologize for not mentioning my system earlier, doh!

It is a Linn LP12 (pre-circus) I believe with an Akito tonearm and valhalla supply.  It will feed a Sim LP3 phono pre.  After much research I'm leaning towards a Soundsmith Carmen or Denon 301mkII.  Jury is still out however so I appreciate all the feedback that has been coming in.